This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Free fall or drop type hammers have been used and are still being used for driving pile, poles, pipe etc., which are referred to herein as work input (or work piece). Hammer rams have historically been lifted to a free fall height (drop height) by manual labor, winch and cable systems, compressed air, hydraulic fluid under pressure and the explosive force of diesel fuel combustion. The pull of gravity in relation to the mass of the ram releases a driving force upon impact with the work input that is being driven. The above mentioned methods of raising a ram are energy intensive and require a heavy supporting structure.
Additionally, conventional driving systems require ancillary work input positioning systems, such as leads, pull ropes, etc. to accurately position and hold the driving hammer and work input in a linear configuration perpendicular to a substrate such as the ground, beach, etc. that the driven work input is being driven into. Moreover, pile driving hammers with conventional bells, bonnets, etc. cannot adjust their internal inlet diameter to conform with the various outside diameters found with work input such as wooden piles or poles, for example. Although wooden pile or poles may generally have a consistent overall length, their outside diameters at the driven end can, and most often do, vary with each individual pile or pole.
Embodiments of the present invention may address one or more of the issues mentioned above.